OVERVIEW
Milwaukee has been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. Communities of color have been rocked, as health disparities and limited access to healthcare have put a magnifying glass on Milwaukee’s existing social problems.
BREAKING SILOS
The COVID-19 Divide Song will inspire Milwaukee’s diverse communities to tackle the problems surrounding the pandemic through proactive measures.
Milwaukee’s biggest artists will educate their peers on the best way to stay safe. From testing to wearing PPE, there’s so much our community can be doing to stay safe and healthy.
AMPLIFY VOICES:
We’ll engage Milwaukee’s biggest artists and influencers to participate in this historic project.
PHASE 1 - LAY THE FOUNDATION
We’ll activate Milwaukee’s hottest beatmaker, Andre “Bizness Boi”, to produce a track for us. Bizness Boi is a Grammy nominated producer whose music has been featured on records by Chris Brown, Eminem, Rihanna and Lil Nas X.
Bizness Boi’s stamp of approval will inspire action amongst his established peers and up and coming artists
PHASE 2 - MAKE IT DOPE
After we’ve brought Bizness Boi onboard, we’ll work to recruit the biggest names in Milwaukee to jump on the record.
Potential participants
GP El Magico • Browns Crew • Rissaa Fam • Sawyer Gibson • MT Twins • Shle Berry • Ray Nitti • Jazzie Blanco • RB Vic • Lil Chicken • Klassic
PHASE 3 - INSPIRE ACTION
After we’ve laid the foundation and recruited Milwaukee’s hottest acts to participate, we’ll inspire other artists to join the project by launching a city wide contest. We’ll work with V100, 103.7 (Kiss FM), La Gran D (104.7) and Radio Milwaukee to help us identify up and coming artists.
Contestants will be able to download the track and record verses that will be judged by a select group of judges
Potential Judges:
Reggie Brown (V100) • Kevin Sucher (88.9) • DJ Gea (KISS FM) • Tish Taylor (Jacob Latimore’s Mother) • Chad “C-Note” Roper (Grammy winning producer/engineer) • Bria Grant • Reggie Moore
PHASE 4 - CREATING COLLATERAL
After we’ve cooked up the magic in the studio, we’ll develop a storyboard, identify shot locations, and invite local influencers to participate in our video shoot. We’ll engage local photographers to be on set to capture additional marketing materials. Live art can also be produced while we are on set.
Check out DEE-1’s “Shut Up & Grind” to see an example of what’s possible when artists are brought on set.
PHASE 5 - ACTIVATION
After our content is complete, we release the video on social media platforms via a live broadcast that will see us crossposting a live video on multiple channels. This live activation will feature a town hall with the project’s participants.
We’ll keep the momentum going by purchasing social media ad buys on all of the content that we post.
DELIVERABLES
1 :30 sec tease
1 Song
1 Full length video
1 Single/Album Art
3-5 Marketing Materials
1 Live Activation
PRODUCER BIO
In 2017, Dr. Rob “Biko” Baker founded Render, a digital storytelling firm that utilizes agile project management and continuous delivery approaches for social cause and public sector clients. In 2019, his firm formed a joint venture with leading digital marketing firm Cashmere Agency called Project Louder that helps major brands, organizations and political campaigns with their digital strategy. Their clients include Warner Bros and Ben & Jerry’s
His past experiences leading and producing digital activations like #NoGunsAllowed with artist/philanthropist Snoop Dogg sees him uniquely positioned to offer important services to clients seeking new ways to engage their audiences.
He’s written for a number of hip-hop magazines, academic journals and was a long time political correspondent for the Source Magazine. He has appeared on C-SPAN, Fox News, and MSNBC and has penned a number of articles for America's biggest online outlets, including Vanity Fair. In 2015, Baker was the graduation commencement speaker for UC-Berkeley's Black Graduation.
Baker holds a PhD in History from University of California Los Angeles (UCLA 2013). He is currently an instructor in the African and African Diaspora studies department at UWM.